St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-04-30
POULTRY FIELDING.

Green Food Necessary to the Well Being al
All Klnds 0f Fowls.
Poultry Of all kinds relish green food.
and do not long continue in health
without it. Leaves of cabbage, turnip.
and the general waste Of the garden,
should be thrown to them, along with
scraps from the house and insects. The
run of a paddock is excellent, and in a
straw yard they find plenty to eat. and
employ themselves in scratching. which
promotes their health and happiness.
The great difficulty with most people
who keep fowls is to spare them suffi-
cient room for good run; and where a
well-kept garden is desired the birds
are cooped up in q small Enclosure,
where they can not prosper. and at
last are voted expensive and trouble
some. and got rid of as failure. But
a better way is to rail off good-sized
piece Of ground and let the fowls have
free range over it, to pick and scratch
as they please. But this patch need
not be lost, as to the growing Of gar
den crops. for there are many which
fowls will not touch. and to these it
should be. in n measure. appropriated.
To supply them with green food, plant
in it a row If kale. or any kind of cab
bage; and il supplied with sufficient
green food that they like. the re-
mainder may be appropriated to
Jerusalem artichokes. potatoes. broad
beans. parsnips. rhubarb, carrots.
parsley and any other pot herbs.
Kidney beans they will destroy
IS soon as the pods are ripe, but not
before; SO they may also be grown in the
poultry run. as may also vegetable mar
rows, pumpkins, onions, lettuce and
:urnips; but the last Eve are apt to he
scratched up when young. and may need
the protection Of u net, or coop, or a
few hurdles round the beds in their ear
lier stages; but when strong the protec-
ton may be removed. OF course. the
poultry yard will not be the the tidicst
part Of the garden. but u compromise is
better than doing an injustice to the
birds, and it may be effected without .
total sacrifice to them Of the ground
they require to have sufficient liberty to
prosper. Plenty Of clean water. gravel
and broken oyster shells, or old mortar.
should be kept in all poultry yards rs
indispensable. Without lime in some
shape fowls will not lay SO many eggs
Is If well supplied with it.
Ducks are good birds for small hold
srs. A little ditch to paddle in. or even
! tub sunk in their run, will serve them
almost rs well rs y pond: but, like other
poultry. plenty Of room in . paddock is
In advantage. Young ducks allowed
o run through a kitchen garden do .
rast deal Of good, BY destroying YER
min. and. ut the same time, thrive upor
he food they get. They are apt tc
read down . young crop. and that
must he guarded against by inclosing
he bed with some nets or hurdles. The
Aylesbury ducks are the most priced.
md are most prolific layers. They are
,ad mothers, however. and it is best to
nut the eggs under . cochin hen and
,onfine the brood for the first week, To
,eep them from the water. Their first
God shonld be boiled eggs and boiled
lettles; then change to boiled barley.
md after that they may feed with the
theirs; but they want little il they can
orage for themselves. A good feed
vice day Of boiled grain. with the
un Of the place. soon fattens them; bat
hey should be shut close the last fort
light and no insect food allowed them.
e their Aesh will Be rank. 80
la ssbes Of Aor.cutuSe Jeoyn0k